Tag: Optimistic October

We made it through 31 days of writing!!! The posts weren’t always pretty and sometimes it was a stretch just to get something posted, but now we’ve reached the end of the month!

So do I feel more optimistic? Somewhat. I know that some of that is related to getting through the most stressful part of the semester. But I do think that talking about optimism and some of the benefits has helped me to see that some things aren’t really as big a deal as I think they are.

What’s next for the ol’ blog? I’ll probably take about a week off from writing to clear my brain and to get involved in NaNoWriMo. After that, I have a few ideas about a writing schedule, so stay tuned, and thanks for reading this month!

There is someone that I know who constantly talks about being bored. This person is bored at work, bored at home, and just bored with life in general. I would expect this from a small child, but it floors me that an adult can constantly be so bored. (Cheesiness alert) We live in a fascinating world and in a time period where technology makes new things possible just about every day. There is always something new to learn, something to improve upon, or something to observe. With all of the options out there, I would think that being overwhelmed would be a lot more likely than being bored!

To me, being bored is a sign that you are unfulfilled. You constantly expect the world to entertain you, but you are not willing to give anything in return. It also shows a selfish mentality because every workplace always has more work that can be done. Every home always has more work that can be done to it (including the fun work, like decorating!). If you find yourself constantly bored, especially at work, do some reflection. Have you really been putting in your best effort? Have you been ignoring work that you’re supposed to be doing? Do you see your coworkers constantly running around, working hard to complete tasks, and spreading themselves too thin? If so, offer them a hand! If you are bored and unhappy, then take your focus off of yourself and put it onto others. Not only will that help them and make them happier, it will also cure your boredom quickly!

If you’re bored at home, think about what you can do to improve your living space. Look for new ideas on Pinterest or decorating magazines. If you don’t need to do any improvements at home, then look at what you can improve about yourself! Have you always wanted to learn another language? Do you want to start cooking or knitting or painting? Look for online tutorials or books from your local library (shameless plug) and start teaching yourself! If you’re like me, once you start learning one thing, there are about a million other things I want to start learning after that!

Everyone needs downtime, and yes, sometimes that downtime will make you feel bored. That’s okay. You start having problems when boredom is a consistent state of mind. If all else fails and you don’t want to take any of this advice, then contact me because I’ve got a list of things you can do to help me out! 😉

I’ve lost almost 20 pounds this year. That would be a cause for excitement and celebration if I wasn’t so focused on how much more I need to lose. I have the same problem with a lot of the goals I’ve been working on. I can’t focus on how much debt I’ve paid off; I can only look at how much more there is to go. I am not focusing on the steps I’ve made in creating household routines and schedules; I can only see all of the things I’m still falling behind on. And on and on it goes.

Does anyone else have that problem? Are you so focused on what you have to do that you can’t look at the progress you’ve made? Living like that can zap your optimism. You don’t take time to be proud of yourself about your accomplishments because there’s always more that needs to be done. It’s exhausting!

Here’s a challenge for today: look at a long term goal or project that you’ve been working on and celebrate the progress you’ve made. Yes, it’s responsible to keep taking steps to achieve that goal or project, but don’t let it overwhelm you to the point where you forget about the progress you’ve already made. Now if you all don’t mind, I’ll be looking at my set of two-pack abs in the mirror…